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Administrators in charge of Stafford Hospital told a public meeting tonight they will not be "wedded" to an earlier report that recommended acute services at the hospital should close.

Administrators also said that there would be no redundancies at the hospital during the administration process.

There was applause when administrators were asked how much the administration system would cost. Alan Bloom, the accountant in charge, said that it would be in excess of £2 million but would not be paid out of the trust's budget.

After thousands marched earlier this month to save Stafford Hospital, hundreds of people are expected to attend a public meeting tonight with the hospital's administrators.

The venue has been changed to the County Show Ground in Stafford after complaints that not enough people would be able to get in.

TSA Alan Bloom met with Staffordshire Police following an overwhelming demand for places.

He agreed that although venues had been booked to hold 500 people in total over both nights, it would not be enough to meet the needs of local people wanting to attend.

Concerns about large crowds being turned away meant that the decision was taken to postpone the meetings to ensure public safety and better access.

Alan Bloom said, “The demand for places was overwhelming and to ensure the safety of everyone wanting to attend and to increase the opportunity for people to participate, I took the decision to move the meetings to larger venues.

"We apologise for the inconvenience and hope the new arrangements will benefit everyone.”

The Trust Special Administrators have decided to postpone the dates and venues of the public meetings organised for this week in Stafford and Cannock, following discussions with Staffordshire Police about access and safety.

He agreed that although venues had been booked to hold 500 people in total over both nights, it would not be enough to meet the needs of local people wanting to attend.

So the decision was taken to postpone the meetings to ensure public safety and better access. The meetings will now be held at the Staffordshire County Showground at 7pm on 30th April and another to be confirmed.

The new venue will hold at least 700 people each night or 1,400 in total.

It highlighted the "appalling and unnecessary suffering" of patients at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009.

NHS chief Sir David Nicholson Credit: Press Association

Sir David, who was chief executive of the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority (WMSHA) between August 2005 and April 2006, told ITV News: "I am not ashamed of being in my job today.

"Clearly it was a whole system failure and we need to reflect on what Francis says, the whole of the NHS - myself, leaders in the NHS, doctors and nurses - need to reflect on what we can learn from that to make sure it never happens again."

Christine Green, chief executive of Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said she looked forward to receiving the inspectors, adding it was "well recognised" that the trust's mortality rate had been elevated for the past two years.

A spokeswoman for Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they were committed to improving mortality rates and to identifying any lessons that can be learned.

Mortality rates at five trusts are to be investigated, the NHS Commissioning Board announced today, in reaction to the official report into mistreatment and neglect at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust. They are as follows:

The chief executive of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust since 2011, Lynn Hill-Tout, has said she would be happy to be a patient at Stafford Hospital today, and that she would also be happy for her 90-year-old mother to be treated there.